Questions & Answers

Why does the Splendor Garden Retail Brand of Organic Spices, Herbs, and Seasoning Blends only say “Organic” on its label and not “100% Organic” or “Certified Organic”?

The CFIA , Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulates what can be stated on retail packaging in Canada and the following are answers from the CFIA Website:

Q6 Is the claim "100% organic" permitted?

The "100% organic" This claim is not permitted in Canada. All products with an organic content of 95% or greater are considered organic and may be labelled with the word "Organic".

Q7 Is the claim "Certified Organic" permitted?

As all organic products, under the Canada Organic Regime, must be certified by a Canadian Food Inspection Agency accredited certification body, products bearing the claim "Certified Organic" are considered misleading. Having only some products labelled "Certified Organic", while others aren't, may mislead consumers into believing that products not bearing this claim are not certified.

The Splendor Garden Retail Brand of Spices, Herbs, and Seasoning Blends are labelled according to the rules set out by CFIA.

When using organic spices and herbs, do you need less than if you used conventional product?

Yes, quality organic herbs and spice may allow you to use a lesser amount due to their higher concentration of volatile oils.

Is the Splendor Garden retail product line labelled as gluten free?

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency maintains you should not label them gluten free, as it is misleading to the consumer because, all spices and herbs are naturally gluten free.

The Splendor Garden retail brand of products is packaged in a facility that does not process any products containing gluten, as well, we randomly conduct gluten testing

Please Note: Although we feel we take every precaution to ensure our customers receive a gluten and nut free product, we cannot fully guarantee that our herbs and spices have not come in contact with gluten or nuts as some point between harvest and packaging.

Is the Splendor Garden retail brand of products packaged in a nut free facility?

YES, the Splendor Garden retail brand is packaged in a facility that does not process any peanut or tree nuts.

Are your spices and or herbs irradiated?

Splendor Garden products supplied to you will be treated only by heat or steam treatment if needed or required. The ingredients will not have been processed by Ethylene Oxide treatment or irradiation.

How can you guarantee that your products are organic, gmo-free, and non-irradiated?

Canadian Organic Spice & Herb Co. Inc. can guarantee this because we work with a supplier that does not leave this to chance. Our supplier works with only organic producers AND tests every batch of product upon receiving it to confirm this. Any product testing positive is refused. On occasion this does cause us tobe short on product, but it is worth the effort to assure you that the product you receive in the Splendor Garden retail brand of organic spices, herbs & seasoning blends is truly certified organic, non-gmo, non-irradiated, and not treated with any chemical.

Where do your spices and herbs come from?

Our supplier has an elite network of growers that are recognized not only for their quality, but also for their consistency, and they span the globe throughout Asia, Europe, Africa, the Pacific Island nations, North America, South America, Central America, and Mexico.

What is the number imbedded across the top of each Splendor Garden retail bag? Is that an expiration date?

The number imprinted on the top is that particular product's lot number or batch number. Every time we have a production run of a product we assign that production run a unique number. All bags filled from that production run are marked with that unique number. This gives full traceability of all ingredients used for that particular production run. This number is not an expiration date, though sometimes the assigned number may look like a date. Due to the extended shelf life of spices and herbs, we are not required to put an expiration date on our products.

Do spices and herbs expire?

Product shelf life is dependant on storage conditions and is highly variable. Spices and Herbs should be stored under cool, dry conditions. Industry standard for shelf life for spices and herbs is 24 months.

So, in saying that, above your oven or range top is not the ideal storage place for your spices and herbs.

What is Citric Acid and why is it used?

Citric acid is very effective as a preservative, obtained from naturally occurring organic acids It can be found in many different fruits and vegetables, but is especially concentrated in lemons and limes.

Citric acid is used extensively in the food, beverage, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. It has been recognized as safe by all major national and international food regulatory agencies.

What is Silicon Dioxide? Is it healthy?

Silicon dioxide, also known as silica is a common additive in the production of foods, where it is used primarily as a flow agent in powdered foods, or to absorb water in hygroscopic applications.

Silicon dioxide in food is very important for normal development of bones. Silicon dioxide is also necessary to maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails.

Although silicon is necessary for our body, it is categorized as a trace mineral. This means unlike other minerals, silicon is needed in minimal amounts to maintain health. As its requirement is small, recommended daily allowance (RDA) for silicon has not been specified. However, experts suggests a daily consumption in the range of 20-30 mg is needed to stay healthy.